Android 4.4 KitKat: Top 10 new features

The KitKat update to the Android OS brings some visible adjustments, together with extra immersive pics, in addition to deeper integration with Google’s wise assistant, Google Now, amongst different adjustments and enhancements.

This is a listing of the highest-10 new options of Android four.four.KitKat:

1. Person interface tweaks: Android four.four KitKat deals a translucent menu bar positioned on the backside of the display, and new transition results whilst you open the app launcher. The OS bargains full-display wallpapers with preview and the wallpapers now lengthen in the course of the notification tray as smartly, along with the navigation buttons.

The brand new OS brings a extra immersive expertise by using hiding the standing bar and navigation buttons when the person is studying a guide, or enjoying a recreation or staring at a film. They are able to simply swipe the threshold of the monitor to deliver again the standing bar and navigation buttons on KitKat.

The lock-reveal widgets for song and films apps now additionally supply the approach to are searching for and soar to a particular section. The Fast Settings notifications menu toggles additionally add a ‘place settings’ toggle. A brand new Emoji keyboard for emoticons has additionally been integrated within the native Google Keyboard.

Android four.four KitKat may even convey full-reveal album and picture artwork if content material is being streamed to any other device equivalent to a Chromecast.

2. New dialler, caller ID: The brand new phone app now mechanically prioritises the customers’ contacts according to the individuals they speak to probably the most. Customers might also seek for neighborhood locations and companies, contacts, or folks of their Google Apps area instantly from the Telephone app. In the event that they get a name from a phone quantity that’s not saved of their contacts, the phone will search for fits from companies with a neighborhood checklist on Google Maps.

three. Unified Hangouts messaging app: As we mentioned a number of days again, Android four.four brings a new unified messaging app, with Hangouts getting SMS and MMS integration, along with providing fast messaging thru Google debts (erstwhile Google Discuss). Hangouts now additionally lets in customers to share their vicinity and ship animated GIFs.

four. Smarter Google Now integration: Whereas the voice-activated all the time-on search assistant was once first viewed within the Moto X, Android four.four extends it to the Nexus 5, permitting customers to simply say “OK Google” when within the house monitor to launch the Google Now assistant and do a voice search, ship a textual content, get guidelines and even play a music. Google Now will also be launched via merely swiping to the left as a substitute of swiping from the underside, at the least on the Nexus 5.

It is no longer clear if the characteristic would attain different Android four.four devices. Google additionally says, that within the coming weeks, it is bettering Google Now with new card sorts that convey details about contextual themes that hobby customers comparable to updates from a favorite web page or weblog.

5. Higher give a boost to for cloud printing: Customers will now be capable to print images, paperwork, and web sites from their phone or tablet thru any printer related to Google Cloud Print, HP ePrint printers, and by the use of different printers which have apps within the Google Play Retailer. Android four.four deals native platform beef up for printing, and contains APIs for managing printing and including new forms of printer improve, consistent with Google. “Customers can uncover on hand printers, trade paper sizes, select particular pages to print, and print nearly any roughly report, picture, or file,” mentions Google within the OS unlock notes.

6. Chrome WebView: Android apps that characteristic internet content material now use Chrome to render net parts safely and fast. Chromium WebView helps HTML5, CSS3, and JavaScript. It helps many of the HTML5 options on hand in Chrome for Android 30.

7. Step detector, counter: Android four.four brings platform toughen for 2 new composite sensors, step detector and step counter permitting customers to trace steps when they are strolling, working, or mountain climbing stairs, by way of apps and hardware that provide the function. The Nexus 5 deals the 2 sensors and Google says it can be working with its chipset companions to carry them to new devices as quickly as that you can imagine.

Android four.four additionally introduces platform give a boost to for constructed-in IR blasters, and a brand new API and machine carrier for builders to construct apps that may leverage them. This implies the IR Blaster, current within the Samsung Galaxy S4 and HTC One will now be usable.

9. Higher accessibility choices: Android four.four bargains machine-broad preferences for ‘closed captioning’. Apps that supply video can get right of entry to the person’s captioning settings and alter the show of the captions as per the person’s preferences.

10. Display recording: Android four.four bargains enhance for display recording, and features a reveal recording utility that lets customers seize video as they use the device and retailer it as an MP4 file. This additionally lets in builders, reviewers and finish-customers to create walkthroughs and tutorials for apps, trying out supplies, and advertising and marketing movies, amongst others.

So, these had been probably the most thrilling options of the brand new OS. Google’s Nexus 5 is already being shipped with Android four.four, KitKat, and the OS will quickly be on hand on the Nexus four, Nexus 7, Nexus 10, the Samsung Galaxy S4 and HTC One Google Play model devices within the coming weeks.